The True Alpha Male in Business
As the story typically goes, there are two types of men, the Alpha Males and the Beta Males.
Alpha males are those at the top of the social status hierarchy. They have greater access to power, money, and mates, which they gain through physical prowess, intimidation, and domination. Alphas are typically described as the “real men.”
In contrast are the “Beta” males: the weak, submissive, subordinate guys who are low status, and only get access to mates once women decide to settle down and go searching for a “nice guy.”
This distinction, which is often based on observations among other social animals (such as chimpanzees and wolves) paints a very black and white picture of masculinity. Not only does it greatly simplify the multi-dimensionality of masculinity, and grossly underestimate what a man is capable of becoming, but it also doesn’t even get at the heart of what it takes to run a business.
As the expression goes, when all you have is a hammer, all you see are nails. When we impose just two categories of male on the world, we unnecessarily mislead young men into acting in certain predefined ways that aren’t actually conducive to attracting and sustaining healthy and enjoyable lifestyles and success. So it’s really worth examining the link between so-called “alpha” behaviors (such as dominance) and attractiveness, respect, and status.
Most of us breathe shallow and into our chest. It's a shortened breath and that's usually the same breathing as someone who is anxious & tense all the time. Fear driven. If you could do the reverse where as you breathe deep into your belly, now you're going to be much more relaxed and calm. When we talk about alpha, it's about alpha male, alpha female. It's really coming from brain waves. Alpha is actually an alertness with a calm to it also. That's sort of the mode you want to be in on a daily basis. That's when you're in control; when you're alert but you're calm.
Here are the different brain waves.
Beta Brainwaves
Frequency: 13-32 Hz
State: Alert, normal alert consciousness, active thinking
Active conversation
Making decisions
Solving a problem
Focusing on a task
Learning a new concept
Beta brainwaves are easiest to detect when we’re busy thinking actively.
Alpha Brainwaves
Frequency: 8-13 Hz
State: Physically and mentally relaxed
Alpha brainwaves are some of the most easily observed and were the first to be discovered. They become detectable when the eyes are closed and the mind is relaxed. They can also often be found during activities such as:
Yoga
Just before falling asleep
Being creative and artistic
Theta Brainwaves
Frequency: 4-8 Hz
State: Creativity, insight, dreams, reduced consciousness
Most frequently, theta brainwaves are strongly detectable when we’re dreaming in our sleep (think, the movie Inception), but they can also be seen during :
Deep meditation
Daydreaming
When we’re doing a task that is so automatic that the mind can disengage from it e.g. brushing teeth, showering. Research has also shown a positive association of theta waves with memory, creativity and psychological well-being.